Windows’ big update hits celebrity malware

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As part of its massive Patch Tuesday update, Microsoft has fitted Zeus Trojan detection and a patch for the Stuxnet worm, two of the most troublesome pieces of malware to hit Windows this year.

Zeus hit the headlines when an international gang of virtual bank robbers used it to gain access to online accounts in Britain, the US, Holland and the Ukraine.

A police sting resulted in 150 arrests, including 19 suspects in London. The gang are accused of attempting to steal $220 million (£139 million) but are actually believed to have actually netted $44 million (£28 million).

Yesterday’s update for the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) was expected to vastly reduce the damage which Zeus seems still capable of doing. The Trojan toolkit, also known as Zbot, has been in the news on several occasions prior to the recent arrests.

MSRT is Microsoft’s free security tool that is supplied and regularly refreshed through the Windows Update service. In the past, Zeus has avoided detection even on systems with antivirus protection because it is constantly being modified when a signature is identified.

Despite the Microsoft update, there is no guarantee that another adjustment will not be applied to circumnavigate the MSRT detection.

The Stuxnet virus has gained a reputation for a James Bond existence through suspected ties with international espionage. It mainly targets industrial control equipment and has been linked, speculatively, with a US or Israeli masterminded attack on Iran’s nuclear energy programme or, in another theory, an Indian-based attempt to upset China’s economy.

The Microsoft patch is only a partial solution in that it fixes one of the vulnerabilities used by Stuxnet. This leaves a zero-day flaw still exposed but the patch will take some of the sting out of the worm.

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